My Furry Daddy
by NocturnalFerri
Summary: A little girl learns that her daddy's a werewolf. Told in bedtime story format. I swear its not a Mary Sue


My Furry Daddy

By NocturnalFerri

Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own Harry Potter. All hail the great JK Rowling for bringing such a wonderful story into the world. All other characters in this fic are mine, specifically Clara Lupin and her mother.

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"Daddy! Daddy!" I leapt out of my closet, almost tripping on the ratty old blanket I had flung over my head. I spread my arms wide. "Guess what I am!"

            Daddy was sitting Indian style against my blue and purple bed. It had a purple canopy and curtains around it, too. It's my princess bed. Daddy looked kind of confused. He was blinking an awful lot and was scratching his head. He has brown hair like me, only his has gray speckled all over, like a robin's egg. "A ghost?" he guessed.

            "Nooo," I moaned. I stuck my tongue out. Too bad he couldn't see me through the blanket. I spat out the wooly fibers that stuck to my tongue. "Try again Daddy." I wiggled my arms. The blanket flapped around me. Daddy was usually good at our dress up guessing games, but not this time. He looked kinda…off.

            "Sorry, honey. You got me. What are you?"

            I yanked the blanket off my head. "I'm a giant amoeba!" Daddy stared at me.

            "Where did you learn about amoebas?"

            I tried to fold my blankey. It was hard. It was a lot bigger than me. "Auntie 'Mione told me. They're one celled organisms and they got no arms. They have pahsudapods."

            Daddy laughed, "That's my smart girl." He took the blankey from me and folded it with no problem. Daddy's big and strong. He's a bad-person-get-ridder-of-er. Mommy called him an Oreo-er, or something like that. He can cast big giaganto spells and make things go boom. Whenever he comes home from work looking all beat up and tired my Mommy gets all happy and smiley to see him and that makes him all happy and smiley too. He knows how to get rid of evil monsters and knows how to make a great grilled cheese sandwich. My Daddy's the bestest.

            I ran into the closet again. "One more, Daddy!" Where was it? It couldn't have gone anywhere. My closet wasn't that big. Aha! I got my black cloak and ran out again. "Okay, who am I?" I threw the cloak around me and scowled so hard my face hurt. I slapped my purple and blue desk really hard and yelled, "FIFTY POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!"

            Daddy started laughing really hard. Really really hard. So hard, that his face turned pink, and that's a big change from being kinda pale. He's been kinda pale the past few days. "Do you know who I am?" I scowled horribly again. Daddy wiped the corners of his eyes.

            "That was the best Snape imitation I've ever seen," Daddy choked out between fits of laughter.

            I grinned. Mister Snape was great and all, but he yelled at kids a lot. Daddy took me to Hogwarts once to visit Grampa Dumbledore. We passed by Mister Snape's classroom. He made an awful racket about the kids in Gryffindor for spilling something gooey. He's okay though. He made me unpopable bubbles that had little fireworks inside them last Christmas. He and Daddy were good friends. They looked at each other funny sometimes, like they were gonna smack each other, but they never yelled at each other. Not like Uncle Ron and Auntie 'Mione. They yelled at each other all the time, but Mommy says it's because they love each other. Grownups are silly.

            Daddy looked like he was done laughing so I sat down in his lap. He hugged me. He was nice and warm. Yum. Just like Mommy's cookies. I tilted my head up to look at Daddy. His eyes were flecked with silver, like his hair. That was strange. They were usually all brown, like mine.

            Daddy smiled at me. "Any more imitations?"

            I tipped my head to the side. "I wanna be a bunny, but I don't have anything to be a bunny with." Daddy's smile spread into a grin. One of those funny looking grins with lots of teeth. Kind of like one of the grins Uncle Padfoot makes right before he pranks Daddy. Kinda like Daddy right before he pranks Uncle Padfoot back.

            "I'll make you into a bunny," Daddy said. His wand was suddenly in his hand. I never figured out where he put it. He didn't have any pockets and it wasn't in his sleeves. He really is magical.

            My eyes got wide, "You're not gonna really turn me into a bunny, are you? I don't wanna eat carrots all the time and um, Mommy's allergic to furry stuff."

            Daddy waved his wand at me. "Hold still." He muttered something I couldn't understand. I clapped my hands over my eyes. I didn't wanna be a bunny anymore.

            My head started to itch. I clapped my hands on top of my head. I felt two long furry ears. "Wahh! I don't wanna be a bunny!" I realized I was still speaking human and not, um, bunn-ese.  I touched my nose and crossed my eyes. Yup. It was still there. It was still human pink and fleshy. But what about the ears? I touched both sides of my head. Yup, my ears were still there. But…what was the two long furry things on top of my head? I had four ears?!

            Daddy laughed. "Don't worry, Clara." He reached over and pulled at my long furry ears. They came off.

            "You cut off my ears!" I squealed. I wanted to cry. I shut my eyes.

            "No, no, don't cry, honey." Daddy put the ears in my hands. "It's just a head band with ears."

            I cracked open my eyes. Sure enough, two pink bunny ears attached to a fuzzy headband were in my hands. Daddy didn't make me into a bunny. He made a headband for me.

            Daddy smiled, "Still want to be a bunny?"

            I clapped my hands. "Oh yes!" he slipped the headband onto my head. I bopped my head, trying to catch a glimpse of the ear tips. It hit my nose. I sneezed, sending bits of pink fur in the air. I shook my head and started to hop. I made one lap around my room when I realized something was missing. Daddy would know. He's smart. "Daddy?

            "Yes?"

            "What sounds do bunnies make?" Daddy blinked at me.

            "Well, uh…I don't think bunnies make any kind of noise."

            "Like Giraffes? And Turtles? And ants?"

            "I suppose."

            "That's no fun."

            The stairs in the hallway started creaking and Mommy called out my Daddy's name, "Remus."

            Daddy got that sneaky grin on his face again, "Come on. Let's surprise Mommy." I clapped my hands. That was always fun. Daddy waved his wand at me again and I started floating in the air. I giggled. It was loads better than playing piggyback with Uncle Ron…and that's pretty high up. He's really tall. Daddy flew me to the doorway. The hallway floorboards creaked. Two more times and…"Rawr!" Daddy flew me into the hallway.

            Mommy jumped back and clutched her heart. Her blue eyes were really wide. If her hair could, they'd  stick up on end. I giggled. Mommy blinked, "Clara Lupin, you scared me!"

            I giggled some more, "That was the point Mommy. Are you mad?"

            Mommy sighed and smiled, "No, I'm not, honey. I should have expected it from you and…" she trailed off, just realizing I was hovering four feet in the air. "Remus!"

            Daddy flew me to the side to let Mommy into my room. Mommy looked a bit mad. Her hands were on her hips and her forehead was a bit scrunched up. "What are you doing?"

            Daddy smiled, "Just playing with our daughter, dear."

            "You'll tire yourself."

            Daddy shook his head, "I admit I am a bit tired, but my magic's strong as ever." What were they talking about?

            "Even so," Mommy caught me in the air and pulled me to the ground.

            "Aw gee, Mommy." I climbed up onto my bed and sat on the edge to swing my feet. Thunk thunk thunk.

            Mommy sat down next to Daddy on the floor and held his hand. They didn't say anything for a few seconds. Daddy looked down at his hands. "It's nearly moonrise."

            Mommy nodded, "You have a couple hours."

            Daddy sighed, "Yes. Sirius is waiting for me. I should leave soon."

            Leaving? "Daddy?"

            "Yes, dear?"

            "You're going away again?"

            Daddy turned around and pulled me from the bed to his lap. He hugged me again. "Yes, but only for tonight."

            "Why?"

            Daddy smiled. It wasn't one of those sneaky ones though. Or the kind that made his eyes twinkle like Grampa Dumbledore's. It was like a frown turned upside down smile, but deep down inside you know it's really a frown. "I'm not feeling very well, Clara."

            "Again?" I hugged Daddy's arm. "You're always sick. You're sick every month."

            "I know," Daddy paused a second. "I have allergies."

            "To what? Maybe if we got rid of them, you wouldn't be sick so much."

            Daddy sighed, "It's not so simple. I'm allergic to a lot of things."

            "Like silver?" I asked. Mommy and I weren't allowed to wear anything silver near Daddy. Mommy said it made him itch. "But you didn't have anything silver around you all night." I thought back to dinner. "Maybe it's the steak."

"What?" asked Mommy.

"Maybe Daddy's allergic to steak." I repeated. Adults were so slow sometimes. "We had steak last time Daddy was sick, and that was a month ago. And last last month too. And today."

Mommy and Daddy looked at each other. "I'm not allergic to steak, sweetie," said Daddy. "It makes me feel better when I'm sick. Kind of like chicken soup."

"Oh," I thought for a moment. "But, why are you going to Uncle Padfoot's house again? Why can't you stay here while you're sick?"

"Mister Snape knows how to make a potion that makes me feel better. You've seen it. I take it everyday for a week." I nodded. It was a nasty looking potion. Smelled terrible too. Mommy makes sure Daddy brushes his teeth and takes a really strong breath mint after each does. "Anyway, on the fifth day I take it, I become…contagious for a few hours that night. I don't want you and your Mommy to get sick, too."

"What if we're really careful," I asked. "Could you stay here?" Daddy shook his head.

"It's too dangerous."

"Then how come Uncle Padfoot can see you and me and Mommy can't?" I asked. "It's not fair."

"Uncle Padfoot is immune to my sickness," said Daddy. "He can't catch it."

"Why?"

"You know how he can turn into a dog whenever he wants to?" I nodded. "Dogs are immune. So, your uncle Padfoot can take care of me while I'm sick."

"Oh." I snuggled into his robes. "I'll miss you."

Daddy kissed the top of my head, "I'll miss you too."

"So who's gonna read me my bedtime story?"

"I will," said Mommy. I pouted. Mommy was great and all, but bedtime stories always sounded best from Daddy. I think Mommy read my mind because she smiled.

"I know I'm not a great a story teller as your Daddy, but I can sure try."

Daddy took Mommy's hand and said, "Why don't you tell her a special bedtime story tonight?" Mommy looked confused.

"Are you sure? Is she ready for it?" Mommy asked.

Daddy looked at me then back at Mommy. "I think she is. She's a clever girl. She might figure it out on her own." Mommy smiled and nodded.

"All right."

I looked back and forth between them. What was going on?

Daddy lifted me off his lap and stood up. "I should be going now."

"Aww!" I latched onto Daddy's leg. "Now?"

Daddy ruffled my hair. It was light brown, just like his…minus the grey flecks. My ponytail got all messed up. "I'll be back before you know it." He knelt down and kissed me on the cheek. "Be a good girl, now. And do your homework."

            "I will."

            "I love you."

            "I love you too."

Mommy and Daddy left. I got out my writing pad and started to copy the words I had to do for homework. I could sort of read. Most words. The big long elephant ones gave me trouble. My pencil made scratching sounds while I scribbled "broomstick" on my paper. I wanted to use the neat looking quills my Mommy and Daddy had, but they said only big kids who knew all their letters got to use them. I'll learn all of them sooner or later.

            The door to the front door creaked opened. I ran to my window. It looked out into the front yard. Daddy was kissing Mommy goodbye. It's a good thing Daddy doesn't have cooties. Maddie from art class said that boys lose their cooties when they turn sixteen. Daddy's a bagillion years older than that, so I guess Mommy's safe.

            Daddy let go of Mommy, said a few things and looked up at me. I waved and he waved back. He looked up at the sky. It was getting dark. Daddy poofed away.

            I finished off my words and went over to my bookshelf for something to read. I had oodles of time before bedtime. I wanted to hear that extra special bedtime story that Daddy wanted Mommy to tell me. I looked at my books. Max the Mysterious Muggle, Gladis the Giggling Ghoul, Harry Potter and the Fall of Voldemort…Uncle Ron gave that to me. Uncle Harry didn't think it was very funny. It was a picture book full of cartoon drawn wizarding pictures of Uncle Harry getting rid of Voldemort, the big bad guy who caused trouble before I was born. Uncle Harry's famous, you know. He got rid of the bad guys when he was seventeen. Maybe it was because he lost his cooties.

            I even had Muggle books. The pictures didn't move, but they were still pretty cool. There was one book that had a bunch of Muggle stories in it. Mommy and Daddy read me all of them…well, all except for Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs. They said that they were bad influences and that they weren't nice stories. I asked Cindy and Tabby during snack time and they said that they were stories about big bad wolves who picked on little girls and a bunch of pigs. The wolf always got punished in the end. I don't know why, but I always felt bad for the wolf. All he was trying to do was to get something to eat. And the three little pigs didn't have to think the wolf was gonna eat them. It coulda have wanted to borrow a cup of gillyweed or something. Maybe that was the story Mommy wanted to tell me.

Mommy came in half an hour later.  I was lying stomach down on my bed kicking my feet in the air and reading a giaganto book. I looked up. Mommy's forehead was all scrunched up and she was trying no to frown. "Are you okay Mommy?" I asked.

She sat down on the edge of my bed. "I'm just worried about your Daddy, that's all." She glanced outside my window. It was dark out, but the moon was pretty bright. Sunshine is a happy yellowish color and it brightens up everything. Moonlinght's kinda white. It made everything look pale and sad. Kinda like how Daddy looked sometimes. Mommy looked at my book. "What are you reading?"

I closed the book and showed her the cover. "Hogwarts: A History."

The frown disappeared from her face and she started laughing. "Why are you reading that?" she asked.

"Auntie 'Mione said I'd be smarter than Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron if I read it and that it's really good," I said.

"Can you…read it?" asked Mommy.

I opened the book up to where I had left off. It wasn't too hard to find. I was on the page with the most pictures. "Some of it." I ran my fingers over the words. "I'm up to the Whomping Willow. They don't say much about it. Just that it whomps stuff."

Mommy took the book at me. She read a bit. "It looks like they revised it a bit. The Whomping Willow wasn't in here when I read this last."

"It's new," I pointed to the front title page. "Aunt 'Mione rewrote it."

Mommy laughed, "I should have known. She's quite ambitious and cleaver, that girl. She could have been in Slytherin."

I made a face. Auntie Mione was much too nice to be in Slytherin. I couldn't imagine her yelling and carrying on like Mister Snape. I shook my head, getting rid of the idea. "So what's the story Daddy wants you to tell me?"

Mommy paused a bit before saying anything. "Well, honey, it's a very special story. We had to wait until you were old enough to hear it. You see, not everyone gets to hear this. It's a very serious story, and you have to be a big girl to understand it."

"So I'm old enough now?" I asked. "Am I a big girl?" Mommy nodded. "Wow," I breathed. "It must be a good story."

"It is." Mommy pulled both legs up onto my bed and crossed them. "Are you ready?"

I blinked, "Now? But it's not bed time."

"It's a long story." She started to get up, "But if you want to wait…"

"Nooo!"  I pulled her hand. "Now."

Mommy smiled. She patted her knees and I crawled over the bed to sit in her lap.

"A long time ago there was a little boy, just about your age."

"Was he a wizard?"

"He sure was. He loved to play, ride his broomstick, and he loved to read."

"Just like me!"

"That's right. He was a very clever little boy. He was very smart and he loved to learn all about magical creatures. It was his favorite subject in the whole wide world."

"Even more than snack time?"

"Even more than snack time," agreed Mommy. "Anyway, one day he was playing near the edge of the woods, just behind his house. It was already dark and the full moon was high. The little boy ran around chasing frogs until he heard sounds coming from the woods. All of a sudden, a gigantic wolf leapt out in front of him.

"The little boy ran away as fast as he could, screaming at the top of his lungs. His mum and dad ran out of their house but it was too late. The wolf had pounced on the little boy and bit him hard on the shoulder."

"The wolf killed him?"

Mommy shook her head. "No, it didn't, you see, the wolf wasn't just a wolf," said Mommy. "It was a werewolf."

"What's that?"

"A werewolf is a person who turns into a wolf once a month during the full moon."

"A wolf?" I squeaked. "Like the big bad ones that live in the woods that eat people?"

"Not all wolves are big and bad, dear," said Mommy. "A werewolf is only a wolf once a month. The full moon makes them transform. During the rest of the month they're regular people like you and me."

"What are they like when they turn into wolves?" I asked.

"They're a bit like regular wolves," said Mommy. "They get hungry and feel the desire to hunt. But," Mommy held up a finger, "When they transform, they don't keep much of their human minds. It's hard for them to maintain control over their actions. They don't have the consciences that keep us from doing bad thing to others."

I looked down at my hands, "That's horrible." Werewolves sounded scary, but…"It's not their fault though." I looked up at Mommy. "It's their wolf mind that doesn't have a conscience, not them. If they had their human mind when they're transformed, they wouldn't hurt anybody, right?"

"Right." Mommy was smiling.

"Can't you cure them?"

Mommy stopped smiling. "No, honey. We haven't found a way to yet."

"They can never get better?" My eyes went wide. "They have to be sick all their lives?"

"Yes," said Mommy. She looked a bit sad. "But they learn how to live with it. Like the little boy in our story."

"Oh!" I had forgotten Mommy was telling me a story. "What about him?"

"Well, the little boy had a hard time growing up. All of his neighbors and friends were scared of him just because he was a werewolf. They didn't remember that behind his illness, he was a cheerful, smart little boy, just like any other."

"That's not fair."

"It wasn't. The boy was very sad and very lonely. None of the children would talk to him and neither would the teacher. His family finally decided to move to a new town, hoping that the people there would accept their son. They were scared of him too. They ended up moving several times, but in each town, the people weren't very friendly after they found out that he was a werewolf."

"That's really sad."

 "But the little boy managed," said Mommy. "He held on to the things he loved most: his family and his books."

"His books?"

"I told you he loved to read, and I wasn't kidding. He read everything he could get his hands on."

"Dr. Seuss?"

Mommy laughed, "Sure, even Dr. Seuss. Anyway, his favorite books were about magical creatures. Anything really, but he was mostly curious about dark creatures."

"Why?"

"Well, I suppose it was because he was a dark creature himself," said Mommy. "He read everything he could about werewolves, and when he exhausted that, he went on to reading about other dark creatures."

"He's smart."

"He is," agreed Mommy. "But on the full moon of each month, the little boy would go into a cage in their basement and turn into a werewolf."

"Why a cage?"

"He didn't want to hurt anyone," said Mommy. "Even though he was a little boy, he could still hurt people and turn them into werewolves, and that was the last thing he wanted to do."

"Gosh." This was a really sad story.

"Anyway, when the little boy turned eleven, a wonderful thing happened. A new headmaster took over Hogwarts. The old headmaster refused to allow werewolves to attend the school, but the new one did."

"Wow!"

            "The headmaster had a house built for the little boy to use when he transformed. A tunnel led from the school to the house, and right over the opening they put a Whomping Willow."

            "No one can get past that!" I cried. "How would the boy get to the house? He'd get whomped!"

            "Not if you managed to get past the limbs and pressed the little knot at the base," said Mommy. "If you did that, the Whomping Willow would stop Whomping and you could get to the trap door at its base.

            "Oh!" I clapped my hands. "That's clever."

            "It was," agreed Mommy. "He did well in all of his classes and had three very good friends. They pulled pranks, friendly ones of course, and were very mischievous."

            "So the little boy was finally happy?" I asked.

            "Well, almost," said Mommy. "Even though he had everything he had ever wanted: friends, schooling…he was still a werewolf. Every full moon he'd go to the shrieking shack and transform."

            "The shrieking shack?" I blinked. "That's the house? Isn't it haunted?"

            Mommy shook her head. "It isn't. You see, transforming is very painful. It always makes the little boy feel yucky the week before. Remember I said all werewolves want is to hunt and taste blood?" I nodded. "Since the boy was locked up, he couldn't hunt anything so he would hurt himself for the smell of his own blood."

            "Ohhh," I sniffed. "That's horrible."

            "The little boy had to stay in the hospital wing for a few days because of the injuries. He was very worried his best friends would find out what he was and abandon him. After a year, the boy's friends figured out his secret."

            "Oh no!" I cried. "They didn't abandon him, did he? That'd be terrible!"

            Mommy continued, "They didn't abandon him at all. They did everything they could to keep anyone else from figuring out his secret." She held up her index finger, "In fact, they did something even better. Since werewolves can only infect humans, the boys decide to become animagi."

            "Animagi?" I asked.

            "An animagi is a person who can turn into an animal whenever they want," said Mommy.

            "Like Uncle Padfoot and Professor McGonagall?" I asked.

            Mommy nodded, "Uh huh. After a couple years of studying, they were finally able to turn into animals."

            "Is it really hard to do?"

            "Very hard," said Mommy. "Not many people can do it, but these boys were special. They were determined to help out their friend. They wanted to keep him company so that they boy wouldn't have to suffer through the full moon alone. One boy became a stag, the other became a dog, and the last one became a rat.

            "Wow," I breathed. I wouldn't mind turning into an animal every month for the poor little boy. No one should be lonely.

            Mommy cleared her throat, "The little boy was happy for the first time in his life. He had friends who really cared for him. They kept him company during every full moon for their remaining four years at Hogwarts."

            "What about after that?" I asked. I had a bad feeling something bad was going to happen. The little boy couldn't have that much good luck for too long.

            Mommy shook her head, "Something terrible happened."

            Darn, I hate it when I'm right sometimes.

            "The rat began to follow a big bad guy. He betrayed the group of friends and killed the stag. He blamed the dog and pretended to be killed by the dog and ran away. The dog was sent to Azkaban."

            "That's not fair!" I cried.

            "It isn't," agreed Mommy. "The little boy, who wasn't so little any more, was left alone again. One friend was dead, the other a criminal, and the last one was presumed dead. He was very lonely."

            "That's so sad." I pouted. Just when things were getting good they had to get bad again.

            "But," said Mommy. "Twelve years later, the head master of Hogwarts asked him to teach his absolute favorite subject, Defense Against the Dark Arts."

            "Wow!" I exclaimed.

            "Wow, indeed," agreed Mommy. "And you know what made it even nicer? He got to teach the stag's son."

"That year his dog friend escaped from Azkaban," said Mommy. "But the man didn't know that the dog was innocent. He thought that the dog killed the stag and rat. He thought that the dog was out to kill the stag's son."

            "Oh no! Oh no!" I clapped my hands over my mouth.

            "One night, the werewolf  saw the dog at the shrieking shack. The stag's son and his friends were there too. The dog proved that the rat had killed the stag, and not him. Actually, the rat had been living as the stag's son's friend's pet rat.

            "Ieeww!" Rats are nasty. Yick.

            "When the man found that out, he was so happy. He wasn't alone in the world anymore. He had his dog friend again."  
            "And they lived happily ever after?" I asked.

            "Not yet. Only as they were taking the rat out of the Shrieking Shack did the werewolf realize that it was full moon."

            "Oh no!" I yelped. "Did he turn into a wolf?"

            "He did."

            "Did he bite anyone?"

            Mommy shook her head, "No he didn't. He ran off into the woods so that he wouldn't hurt anyone."

            I breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

            "But, in all the commotion, the rat got away," said Mommy. "Now, they couldn't prove that the dog was innocent. The dog had to run away."

            I stuck my tongue out, "That stinks."

            "It does," said Mommy. "But this time, the man knew that his friend was innocent. He may not have been able to see his friend all the time, but at least he knew that his friend hadn't betrayed him and the stag."

            "Did he live happily ever after, now?" I asked.

            "Well, not yet," said Mommy. This was starting to be a really long, but interesting, but really long story. "Well, after the whole escapade, the whole school found out that he was a werewolf. He decided to leave the school so that the students and their parents wouldn't worry about him."

            "Didn't they know that he was a good guy?" I asked.

            "They knew," said Mommy. "But their parents didn't. For some people, all it takes is a title to get them scared."

            "Like how some people don't like muggles and half-bloods?" I asked.

            "Right," said Mommy. "So, after he left, he went back to living by himself, but after a year, the headmaster and the dog asked for his help again. The big bad guy was back and they needed the man's help to fight him again."

            "Big bad guys can come back to life?" I asked.

            "In his case he did," said Mommy. "He agreed and for two years he worked towards bringing down the big bad guy once and for all."

            "What was he?" I asked. "Was he, like, a super secret agent guy? An Oreo-er?"

            "Auror, dear," corrected Mommy. "Not oreo-er. He was both in a way. A super secret Auror."

            "Wow," I said. That was even better than being just any old Oreo-er. "Did they beat up the bad guy?" I asked. The werewolf had to have been able to bring down the bad guy. He was a good werewolf! He couldn't lose! He just couldn't!

            Mommy nodded. "They sure did. Well, actually, the stag's son killed the bad guy but the werewolf was a big part in helping out."

            "That's still really cool," I said. "You don't needa be the star of the show to be important." At least, that's what Daddy told me when I didn't get the part of the swan princess in last year's ballet recital. Being the frog was pretty fun.

            "What happened after they beat the bad guy?" I asked. "Did the good werewolf live happily ever after?"

            Mommy laughed, "I'm getting to that. After they beat up the bad guy, the werewolf got his job as a teacher again. The students weren't afraid of him anymore. He did help get rid of the bad guy, after all. The rat was caught and the dog was officially freed, so the werewolf and the dog could hang out with each other as much as they wanted."

            "So he wasn't lonely anymore?" I asked.

            "Nope," said Mommy. "He even married one of his Oreo- um, I mean Auror friends and had wonderful baby girl."

            "And he lived happily ever after?" I concluded. "Even though he's a werewolf?" Mommy nodded. I huffed and crossed my arms. "I don't see why people are so scared of werewolves. They're just regular people. They're special 'cause they have to live with their cure their whole lives. The werewolf in the story was even more special. He was a super teacher, he had great friends who didn't care that he was a werewolf, and he was a super duper Oreo-er."

            Mommy was smiling. I don't know why, but she was smiling. I continued, "But, are all werewolves as good as the man in the story?"

            Mommy shook her head, "No, not all of them. Some live in the wild, unable to control themselves. They're really dangerous. You have to remember something, Clara. When people turn into werewolves, they become potentially dangerous. They could hurt you without even knowing it."

            I nodded, "Because they don't have a human conscious?"

            "Right. But, there's a potion that helps them now," said Mommy. "If they drink it every night a week before the full moon, they keep their human mind after they transform."

            "So, they're safe now?" I asked.

            "In a way," said Mommy. "But it's best not to take chances, Just in case the potion goes wrong."

            "Oh," I mumbled. I kinda wanted to see a real live werewolf. If the werewolf in the story was all alone, I wanted to keep one of them company, so they wouldn't be lonely either. I didn't think Mommy or Daddy would let me though. They'd probably tell me to wait until I'm older. Just like how I had to wait to hear the story.

            "What did you think of the story?" Mommy asked.

            I tipped my head to the side. "I liked it. It was kinda sad, but it was nice. The werewolf is kinda cool." I admitted. "Even though he's a werewolf he had a good life and was a nice person. He had his friends, the stag, dog, and even the rat for a little while. And he got to teach his favorite subject to the stag's son. He got to defeat the big awful bad guy, and he had a family in the end. I think he's the bestest." I blinked. That sounded awfully familiar. I scratched my head, trying to remember when I said that before. Isn't Daddy the bestest? But the werewolf is the bestest too. Can there be two bestests?

            I sat up really straight, real good and proper, just like during church and special grown-up occasions. "Mommy?"

            "Hmm?"

            Uncle Padfoot can turn into a dog and Uncle Harry's dad used to turn into a stag, right?"

            Mommy started smiling. She nodded, "Uh huh."

            "And Daddy teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, right?"

            "Yes."

            "And Uncle Harry and the Order defeated the big bad guy Voldemort years ago, right? And Daddy and you are in the order?"

            "Yes."

            I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to think really hard, "And Daddy's allergic to silver. It burns him. And Daddy gets sick every month during the full moon and goes away to Uncle Padfoot's house. Mister Snape makes a potion that Daddy has to drink everyday for a week before. And Uncle Padfoot can't catch his sickness because he's a dog and he can keep him company…just like he and the stag used to when they were little." I opened my eyes. "Mommy, the werewolf in the story is Daddy, isn't he? Daddy's a werewolf?"

            Mommy nodded, "Yes, Daddy's a werewolf." I was quiet for a little. Mommy put her arm around me. "How do you feel about that?"

            I looked up at Mommy. "Okay, I guess. Poor Daddy." I looked out the window at the full moon peeking over the trees in our front yard. "I miss him even more now."

            "He'll be back tomorrow, a little tired, but good as new," said Mommy. She tugged at my ponytail. "Do you think you could keep Daddy's secret? It's a big responsibility."

            I nodded my head a lot. My ponytail hit my face a couple times. "I can do it! I'm a big girl! I can help out Daddy!"

            Mommy hugged me, "That's my girl." She unfolded her legs and stood up from my bed. "This calls for some bedtime cookies and milk."

            I clapped my hands and resisted the urge to jump on my bed. I didn't wanna get Mommy mad. Not after proving that I was a big girl that could keep a very important secret. "YIppie!"

            "I'll go set it up," said Mommy. "I'll call you when it's ready."

            "Okie." I said. Mommy left my room and closed the door. I could hear the floorboards creaking. I slid off my bed and went to look for my pajamas. I found it under the blanket I used to pretend I was an amoeba with. It was folded neatly, just like the blanket. Daddy must have done that when I was changing into my black "Mister Snape" robe.

            Right then, I heard a loud "Awwwwwwooooo" outside. Daddy? I ran to the window. It was one of the neighborhood dogs. There were a few more barks and howls. It sounded like a barking contest. I know the howl wasn't from Daddy. The howl I heard was so long and sad sounding and I know for a fact that Daddy's not lonely anymore. He has Uncle Padfoot, Uncle Harry, Mommy and me.

            I sat at the window for a few minutes, staring at the big white moon. Daddy was probably howling at it too. Not sad howling, though. I wondered if wolves howl just for the fun of it. I'd have to ask Daddy when he got home. And, what happens to his clothes when he transforms. Do they get all ripped up like the big green muggle Hulk? Does he end up naked? That wouldn't be good. I'd have to ask him that when he got home, too. After I give him an extra big "welcome home" hug and kiss of course.

            My Daddy's the bestest. He can beat up the bad guys and get rid of the boogie men under my bed, he's a super duper teacher who managed to teach me my 4 times tables, something even Mommy couldn't do, he's an Oreo-er who helped get rid of old Voldemort, and he's a werewolf. Some people are scared of werewolves, but I'm not. Not of my Daddy anyway. He's the bestest. So what if he turns furry once a month? He's still my Daddy. He's already special.

            I heard Mommy call me from downstairs. The cookies and milk were ready. I reached up to close the curtains, but stopped at the last second. If Daddy was howling at the moon for me and Mommy, I wanted it to reach us. I left the curtains open.

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AN:  Think I should name Clara's mom? I didn't think it was necessary to carry the story through. If I had to make her an actual character, I'd make her Tonks, but that's just my preference. What do you think? Leave it?

All questions, comments, and yes, even flames, are welcome.


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